Участник:RivasThornburg433

The Ever-present Grit Bin

Salt bins also known as salt bins are street furniture that are commonly found in places where freezing temperatures and snowfall is common. These robust containers hold salt and grit mixture which is spread over snow covered roadways and sidewalks.

Two things happen when the grit bins spread the mixture on the snow covered pavement. First, the salt part of the mixture lowers the melting point of the snow, allowing for lower temperatures to turn the snow and ice into liquid. This mixture allows the sunshine to melt the ice and snow no matter how faint or intense it is thanks to a chemical process which involves sodium chloride to absorb ambient heat from the sun. The second action is physical change, where the grit provides traction because of the wet and icy result of the chemical change. Grit often is a mixture of woodchips, sand, and pebbles to provide tires and under soles the traction to prevent slipping during the travel over the road and the sidewalks.

This is an easier and much better alternative than shoveling snow off the pathways or using bulldozers and snow trucks to clear the road. Snow trucks, for one, are very expensive and requires high maintenance. On the other hand, Grit Bin are easy on the budget and low maintenance as well. Accidents are very common when driving on snow covered roads with the wheels usually spinning out of control. Passersby may also slip and get injured whenever they cross on snow covered sidewalks.

The problem though is that these grit bins are only containers. The salt-grit mixture can only be supplied by the local councils to the people during their delivery runs. Another problem is the issue of the actual spreading of mixture in a certain neighborhood. The local council can do the grit spreading service on their own or they can also request the local townsfolk to help. The latter option requires communities to work in rotation when it comes to spreading and shoveling grit mixture in their neighborhood.

The first grit bin designs were brittle and easily lost their effectivity because they are made of stone and concrete. As a result, the later designs were then built out of polyurethane plastic material. These grit bins still experience damages but this time it is not because of the weather but the people who have a habit of vandalizing them. This container also face maintenance issues such as leaving their lids opens and letting moisture and rainfall render the mixture useless and tipping it over and leaving the mixture carelessly spilled on the surroundings.

As can be seen, Grit Bins perform a huge role in the community that often suffer from extreme weather. They are containers that store the salt-grit mixture which keep our roads and sidewalks safe.